Can You Keep a Secret?
"The number you wish to dial is currently unavailable,"
It was bad. Yukimura was thinking if he should leave a mail. No, it was more pathetic. Even if he pretended he only wanted to cheer up and support Yomi, it couldn't be denied that he wanted to reach her because he missed her.
Because he wanted to get the peace of mind that she didn't hate him.
The fact was Yomi blamed Yukimura for her failure. He must have given her bad luck. Even that very annoying friend of her, Tomo Takino, wouldn't be blamed. Even if she was keep picking on Yomi for failing the entrance exams. Yomi could punch her, yell at her, and smack her head, but she wouldn't refuse Yomi's call or asking her to stay away.
Yet she did it to Yukimura. In return, he blamed Takino-san for the failure, even though they hardly knew each other. The loud girl had been annoying him for years. When he was doing alright with Yomi, he felt he could appreciate Takino bit more. But now, memories of all her stupid jokes, mindless exclamations, and silly singing in the class really ticked him off.
Why the hell some Uni accepted her, while Yomi's still uncertain about her future? Why Yomi's best friend has to be someone like that? Why Yomi has to be with them all the time?
Of course, Yukimura had second thoughts and pondered if it was fair to dislike a bunch of otherwise likeable and good girls. Boys and girls hang around together alright, and the bonds between girls can be really close, involving plenty of holding hands, cuddling, sleeping together, and cheek kisses.
But those six girls were extraordinarily close, that everyone else believed that they were lesbians. All of them, even that kid. It was a formerly all-girls school, so naturally the overall climate and tradition was female oriented – the macho culture was weak and the boys were not as brash and aggressive compared to other schools. Minimum level of bullying (at least between the boys) and there was no place for jocks. Actually it was the kind of environment where Yukimura felt secure.
Boys in the school had eyes for those girls. But then their weirdness turned them off. "Osaka" was so airheaded that she was totally clueless to any approach – even from seasoned players who wanted to exploit her naivety (on second thought, her body wasn't interesting at all). Sakaki was too tall and too silent. Tomo's good point was only her look, but nobody could stand her if she had opened her mouth. Some swimming club guys thought they could score with Kagura, but she didn't give positive responses to any of them. Not even playful counter-flirt or giggles.
Make the conclusion dude. They love each other if you know what I mean. That was what the boys often said.
But Yukimura found out that Yomi was something. He had eyes on her when they were in the same class at the second year. Yes, it was her glasses and her stockings. He considered it was as the best year of his life, being 16 and everything. When he asked Yomi what she was doing on the weekend, she said she was going to Magical Land with her friends. Fair enough – there was another time to try. But the next day, when he casually mailed her to ask how Magical Land was, she said she was at home, ill.
They kept the conversation running and she said she was thankful that Yukimura cheered her up. Actually she was pissed off with her friends (i.e. the Bonkers, plus compliant Sakaki) for rubbing her face and thought that it was funny. The next day Yukimura met her after school to give her a pack of oranges. She said she was still pissed off with Tomo and asking if he wanted to accompany him. They went to a diner when she munched a large bowl of beef with rice.
In the summer they met each other more often. Yomi was impressed with Yukimura's vast knowledge in all the eating spots - he showed Yomi many of the city's best kept secrets - and how to enjoy food more (stuff like which sauce is best, which drink goes well with that meal, and how to convince the waitress to give the custom order).
And of course, she found it refreshing to hang out with a normal and sane person.
Even although they went out together just as friends, Yomi had stressed that it was better if they maintained their distance at school. Her explanation was that she didn't want her friends to make fuzz about it. It made sense, somehow. Yukari-sensei could keep picking him (or Yomi) up, jealous that they had better romance life that she was. Takino would not stop annoying them, and Yukimura was more than happy to stay away from that lunatic. Even there was a chance, no matter how crazy, that one day Kimura-sensei stopped him and asking "…how are they? Are they….big…?" The price of going to a mental asylum disguised as a school.
During the sports festival they had small chit-chats when nobody was noticing. Yukimura gave his best for the class during the cultural festival, and the dream came true on Christmas holiday. The girls spent the holiday by themselves, and by coincidence Yomi's and Yukimura's families went together to Hokkaido. They arranged dinners together a couple of times (including a crab buffet), where the parents also found each other to be likeable. Yukimura confessed to her in front of the Sapporo Clock Tower. She said yes, but asking him to keep it a secret. He agreed.
Of course, the joy was on Yomi too. She often dedicated Utada Hikaru's song "Can You Keep a Secret?" to Yukimura (under alias) on the radio, and felt superiority over Tomo (for example, when Chiyo-chan asking if Tomo cut her hair for romantic reason, it felt hilarious to Yomi for more than one reason). She also became more obsessed with her weight, although thankfully for Yukimura, she didn't take drastic measures and often forgot her pledge to be on diet.
On the trip to Okinawa, Yukimura expected a tropical summer romance. He felt disappointed as Yomi was sticking with her friends 24 hours a day. Even she was aloof in replying the mails. Got distracted, Tomo was around, was busy having fun, on the waters, no signal, and everything.
After Okinawa, Yomi immediately went to Mihama's summer house again for the second straight year (well she did on first year too, but back then Yukimura didn't care). He went alright with his buddies, but when they were on karaoke and a pal was bringing his hot girlfriend, Yukimura was longing for Yomi. When they got lovey-dovey with a song he hated, he wished Yomi was there so they could make them suffering a bit with his and her voices. Worse, he couldn't tell any guy that he wasn't single anymore. Words would travel fast, especially along the lines of "Do you know? Turned out one of The Lesbians is normal!"
At the final year's sport festival, Yomi was in the cheerleader team. He wished to have their pictures together with her wearing the cheerleader dress, but couldn't do it. That little runt was also around, and everyone's eyes were on her. At night they were on the phone but the moments of sports festival, the last of his life, had gone wasted.
Afterward they often gone together again after school, but one day Yomi cancelled the appointment. She said she wanted to see a cat in Chiyo-chan's house. That must have been a very interesting cat, because Yukimura didn't understand what's so special about cats. At night Yomi didn't pick up his call. Then she mailed that she was in hospital because the cat scratched Tomo's hand. Weird.
When they got together for Christmas, Yukimura realized that the time was running out. High school life was at its end. Yomi was with her friends at New Year's Day and on the university entrance exam, they had to pretend that they were school acquaintances.
And then the disaster came. Yomi failed her entrance exams and her parents were unhappy. They hardly studied together as Yomi always studied at Chiyo-chan's house, while Yukimura studied at home or in the town's library.
When they discussed it, everything went worse. Yomi wondered aloud if she failed because she was in a relationship, unlike her single friends who had passed. Yukimura expressed his disappointment that they couldn't go to the same university. Yukimura also asked why Yomi had to insist to study in Chiyo-chan's house. She could be helpful, but he didn't think the others were useful at all with her study. Yomi didn't like to hear that. The debate move on with Yukimura's frustration with Yomi keeping attached to her group and couldn't be more independent. As they were graduating, wouldn't it be better if Tomo be more mature and they just being honest with their status? He could understand if Yomi wanted to keep it secret from her parents. But from her friends? What was the point?
Therefore, from Yomi's perspective, the blame was shifted to Yukimura. He was an egoist who left her behind and didn't respect her friendship with the girls. Tomo was immature and annoying, but she's a friend and no one had the right to judge her. On the next day Yomi was mumbling about cream puff deficiency in front of her friends when she was thinking about Yukimura.
The graduation day was bit sour. Actually, it was annoying for Yukimura. Takino, sitting next to Yomi, kept making scenes in the hall. In the end everyone had to rise and clapped for Chiyo-chan just because Takino was being hyperactive.
He felt awkward when congratulating Yomi (and it took a lot of guts to do so). When Yukari-sensei said she lost her wallet, he thought it only fitted the mood. Maybe the whole story was just sucks. Even the graduation also felt bad for Yomi since no university had accepted her. Actually Tomo's antics helped her forgetting her burden for a bit. She and Yukimura didn't talk since then.
Then that day, the mail came.
"Yuki-kun, I got accepted. I'm very sorry for all the troubles."
When Yukimura's got the mail, he wondered what to do next. The entire message looked lovely – she's got accepted and she said sorry. Should he pretend to have been asleep, and reply in the morning? Or should he reply immediately?
After some thought, he replied. "Congratulations. I'm sorry too. I'll call you in a minute."
No reply. Yukimura took a deep breath and called her. The voice who answered him was the pleasant girl he used to know. That nice and loving girl who was happy to hear from him. Koyomi had come back to him.